Singularity
by Cenerea
Summary: There was only one of her kind. No matter how many RESETS there had been and would be, she was the constant in each timeline, the instance in which time and space ceased to exist. There was no need to explain her, because she was impossible to define. Perpetual, immovable - until she collapsed.
1. Part I: Chapter 1

_**Opening Remarks**_  
 _Please bear with me just this once._

 _This is the first time I try to publish something on Undertale. I made this decision after witnessing the sheer liveliness this fandom was enjoying on this platform. Inspired by the thriving artistic community I found here, well... I decided to pitch in myself, for how worthless my contribution may be. I always strive for perfection, and this is another chance for me to improve. Hence, I hope this will lead to positive conversation with other artists and readers worldwide - and, hey, I'm always up for making new friends._

 _Recently, I have been immersing myself in the Undertale fandom. The story is absolutely fantastic, and its underlying themes very deep. My heartstrings have been plucked particularly by Sans; I find the smol skeleton incredibly relatable, and my soul just starts stirring whenever I think about him, his desperate situation, and the way in which he copes with it. It should not come as a surprise if this fanfiction sees him as one of its protagonists, then. So far, I've seen a lot stories about what might have happened the monsters left Mt. Ebbott, and an impressive amount of fantastic AUs that revisit Frisk's adventure in the underground. I have, however, seen little fanwork on what might have happened before Firsk's fall. Indeed, Undertale's history_ ** _is_** _complicated, and at times deliberately obscure; trying to make sense of it or speculate too much about it might seem daunting. Yet, I feel that it is especially because of its vagueness that more work could, and should!, be done on it. So here I am, and here is my take on that. I do not mean to propose this as the absolute truth or as what the great Toby Fox had in store for the story, nor do I wish to necessarily dissipate the mysticism surrounding the monsters' history. Rather, I'd like to see this story simply as one of the many, many, many possible timelines that Undertale might have followed. Maybe it will gain popularity and become an official AU (I doubt it, especially since I inserted a new character in the storyline) - Pastale? (that was lame). At any rate, I hope you will enjoy this story for what it is - a story, a fantastic, subtle distortion of reality._

 _To make this story work, I work with a number of basic assumptions which I think I should make clear from the outset in order to avoid inconsistencies in the future. I do realise that some of these might conflict with some information supplied by the Canon, but that is one of the reasons why this is, in fact, a fanfiction. I hope these will not impact your appreciation of the story too much, and that they will not prevent you from enjoying it nonetheless. I think I have managed to keep these alterations fairly contained, though, and I hope I have succeeded in staying in-character throughout. These assumptions are:_

 _1) Monsters have_ ** _much_** _longer lifespans than humans._

 _2) Time flows differently in the underground (as if it were a different dimension (which it is)), with time flowing much more rapidly on the surface than in the underground. Consider also that the lack of sunlight to mark the flowing of time in days contributes to the distortion of time._

 _3) Looking at the pictures illustrating the war between monsters and humans, I drew the following conclusions:_

 _A)_ _The humans seem to wear armours and use old-fashioned swords and spears, so I have placed the beginning of this story in the Middle-Ages. Mages are also mentioned, which would work well with the middle-ages beliefs in sorcery and so on._

 _B)_ _The silhouette of the big monster leading the monster army strikingly resembles Asgore, so I have made him to be king before, during, and after the war._

 _4) For the purpose of this story, I have made all the monsters we know of in UT witness the war as young kids. Hence, they have lived with humans, albeit for a relatively short time_

 _Should I feel the need to clarify anything else in the future, I will do so in an opening or closing note. If at any point something is unclear to you, do not hesitate to drop an ask or send me a message! I'd be happy to clarify. Also, this story is being published on tumblr as well (just erase the spaces:_ _cenereasquill. tumblr_ _post/154780693137/singularity-11_ _); I am working on thumbnails and stuff, just in case you will want to ask questions to the story's characters later on... I'm not an artist - sadly - but who am I to stifle their voices?_

 _Finally, I would like to dedicate this story to a very good friend who, despite having his own problems and being overwhelmed by work, has patiently listened to all my endless rants about this story ever since it was just a tiny idea and has wholeheartedly supported me in writing it. This is for you._

 _I have kept you for far too long. Without further ado, I present you_ Singularity _._

 _I hope you will enjoy your stay._

 _Thank you.  
\- Cenerea_

* * *

 _ **Part I: Family Friends**_

 _Chapter I_

When Sans thought about it now, the memories that invaded his imagination most vividly were the sting of cold air on his bones, the comforting weight of his brother holding onto the back of his jacket, and the immense emptiness of the immaculate cerulean sky above them. He knew those were dangerous memories to unearth, especially now that there was nothing to gaze up to any longer; but whenever his mind began dwelling on those precious moments, treading the thin line between dream and consciousness, he found himself taking a deep breath like he had done then — the grassy wetness of rice fields mingled with the coarseness of horse sweat and the lingering sweetness of flower blossoms to crawl out of his memory and tickle his nose.

It always took several seconds for his mind to adjust to what his body actually registered: the stagnant dampness of the cave's humidity, the freezing bite of snow, and the watery scent of soaked wood that the forest surrounding Snowdin emanated like a slowly decomposing corpse. His eyes would slowly open to welcome the familiar scenery consisting of rows upon rows of trees and the untraveled path dug out of the perpetual knee-high cloak of snow that covered the land. Allowing his body to slowly tear away from the memory of sunshine and fresh air, he first lowered his eyes to the wooden countertop he had dozed off upon, to then raise them to the sky out of an unconscious habit he suspected came from an old longing that still stubbornly lingered in the most forgotten corners of his mind – and was greeted by oppressively uniform darkness.

Sans sighed with experienced resignation, wondering why a small part of him was still deeply deluded by the sight; he relished, instead, in the pleasure of thoroughly stretching his bones after a nap. There was no time to dwell upon trivialities like those: Papyrus would soon be there to scold him for sleeping on the job. As per usual.

.*.*.*.

"How long 'till we get there, Sans?" Papyrus gently tugged at his brother's black jacket, looking up at the back of his skull before the rare sight of a water buffalo caught his eye and attention.

"I dunno, Paps," heaved Sans. His shoulders tiredly slouched forward and he let his head loll to the side in time with the horse's ambling gait as he abandoned his upright posture. He momentarily let go of the reins to rub his aching neck and shoulders, taking the opportunity to shoot a sullen glare at their father's back, who was leading their small company on his grey mare a couple of steps ahead. They had been traveling for _weeks_ , and the elder skeleton brother was pretty sure they had gone through every single means of transport the age had to offer: they had started off on a carriage, switching to individual horses after about four days of travel; they hitched a ride on a traveling company's caravan, and walked the remaining distance to the mainland's coast when they could not find any animal-powered vehicle for hire; there they boarded a wooden ship, sailed for at least an entire week, landed somewhere else, and were back to horseback riding. This was the fifth day of travel in that new land, and, in all honesty, Sans had just about enough of that entire ordeal's absurdity. Who in their right mind would take two kids on a voyage across half the globe just to visit an old "family friend" he had not seen in ages? What an irresponsible parent theirs was.

Sans clicked his tongue in disapproval as he regained his former rigid posture. "Don't fall off the horse, Paps," he cautioned when he felt his younger brother's grip on him slacken as he turned around to stare at the placid animal bathing in the paddies' cloudy water. Papyrus flinched at the warning and instantly hugged him with all the strength his tiny body could muster, earning a couple of muffled cracks from the elder's spine, who could not suppress a pained hiss. Papyrus loosened his grip to whimper feebly a string of apologies which Sans nimbly cut off with a calm "It's alright, bro. I guess a hug is what I needed to _crack on_ with this journey."

"It's not funny, Sans," complained Papyrus as his brother chuckled softly at his own pun. The elder could perfectly imagine him badly concealing a smile behind a determined pout, his bony arms crossed in front of his soft hide jacket. "Seriously now, don't fall off. Hold on to me _gently_ ," Sans repeated as soon as he felt the other slowly slide off the side of the saddle behind him. He shifted a couple of inches forward to let Papyrus have a little more space as the latter once again circled his waist in a lax embrace. Having made sure his brother was not in any impending danger of falling off the horse and breaking his neck in the process, Sans spent a moment just taking in the scenery, mainly to move his thoughts away from the black hole of frustration and tiredness they seemed to be constantly sucked into.

The place was indeed beautiful, with glistening rice fields stretching as far as the eye could see on both sides of the dusty path they trod upon and the hazy outline of a white mountain piercing the cloudless sky far off in the distance in front of them. Just beyond the fields prospered a vibrant forest, barely contained by a single line of drooping old shacks, most likely used as storage units for the rice trade's tools. He suppressed a shiver as the chilly air of mid-autumn kissed his cheekbones and wove its fingers between the folds of his clothes. Not a leaf stirred in that glassy-clear air – even the tiny soundless ripples of water striders seemed out of place; not a bird seemed to break its thin layer of frost with its bubbly chirping, if not for the occasional subdued sloshing of turbid water as it was disturbed by the slight movement of the figures submerged knee-deep in it, sharply bent over the younger rice sprouts. And in that surreal stillness, the cloudless, infinite sky weighed heavily on them like a lead cloak.

As they lazily rode along the only strip of dry land that cut through that emerald grassy sea like a ship's solidified wake, some of the women stood up from their toil to cast a glance at them, the strangers dressed in funny dark clothes. Some poised their wicker baskets on their hips and tipped their conical hats back to stare at them as they passed by; others stole furtive or strained glances as they tucked their skirts further up their knees to avoid getting the dirty fabric wet. While Papyrus returned their inquisitive looks with his own curious gaze, Sans did not fail to notice the hostile glares – brows knitting in deep, sun-charred scowls beneath a veil of shadow, and eyes narrowed to suspicious slits quietly burning holes in their backs even after they had passed them – or the wide-eyed gapes of pure, silent fear. He felt his own forehead crinkle with bitterness at the antagonism humans met them with regardless of geographical location or cultural heritage, and instinctively lowered the wide brim of his black hat over his face to hide it from view. "Papyrus," he whispered gravely, and his brother needed no further words to stop staring at the women and bury his face in Sans' back as his tiny fists balled up in his jacket. Sans awkwardly shifted a hand onto Papyrus' back to shield his sibling from any potential attack while his eyes impulsively fell onto their father: he rode on, heedless of the looks of hate and mute terror they were collecting with each step, his shoulders relaxed, his back straight, and the tail of his long black coat loosely bobbing in time with the horse's steady trot.

The tall grass rippled in a soft breeze; the gentle rustle of those emerald waves filled the eerie quiet surrounding them, an instant of movement in a bubble of stasis. Sans took a deep breath – and waded through.

.*.*.*.

Sans almost cried with joy when he heard his father pronounce the three magic words: "We have arrived." The last stretch of their journey had not been too disagreeable, with trees and bushes replacing humans and pleasantly filling up the space with their swishing branches and their countless shades of green, yellow, and brown. The soft scrunching of the horses' hooves on a golden carpet of fallen leaves as they ascended a slope even put him in a good mood, to the point that he had taken off his hat and had begun to exchange idle chit-chat with Papyrus regarding what sort of creatures would live in this kind of forest and whether they resembled the ones from home at all. Paps had begun talking about the surrounding flora and fauna to take his mind off the fear he must have felt as they crossed the rice paddies, no doubt; Sans obliged him with a couple of puns and made-up stories which, despite the initial irritated grumbling, earned a couple of giggles from the younger monster.

Thus distracted, the brothers barely noticed the tall wooden gate, once dyed a bright red, they passed under, and their cheerful voices gradually faded into curious silence as their horse came to a stop in a wide courtyard dominated by an imposing one-story building with a pointy tiled roof, a forked finial, jutting gutters, and what seemed to be gridded cream-coloured screen doors. Sans did not get a chance to examine that complicated piece of foreign architecture further as his father stepped into view, picked him up from underneath his arms and carefully lowered him to the ground, soon to be joined by a mildly excited Papyrus. Both brothers' legs were wobbly from almost an entire day spent on the saddle, and as they thoroughly stretched their tired bones their father knelt down on one knee to address them in his usual low, tender voice. "Good job making it through that long trip, boys!" The two kids stopped moving around to look up at him upon receiving a gentle caress on their skulls as prize for their bravery and endurance. "It must have been draining, and I do apologise for that. I'm sorry, Sans, Paps."

Sans felt a small smile stretch his invisible lips with a soft sigh: for how frustrated he could get at his father and his somewhat bizarre ideas, the man always knew how to ask for forgiveness. He was conscious of how weird or demanding his requests turned out to be, and was painfully aware of the strain that sometimes they placed on their small family of three – so he ended up apologising to his sons most of the time, and making up to them for the rest. He was a sweet man, their father; how could Sans be angry at him for more than an hour or so?

"This is my friend's home; I'm sure you will, but just remember to behave, ok? It's autumn now, but this is usually a very beautiful place." The adult skeleton raised his head to beckon his sons to look around, wordlessly inviting them to gaze at the weather-beaten but nonetheless masterfully carved lion-like statues guarding the entrance, at the beauty of the late-afternoon sunlight filtering through the foliage of two unbelievably tall camphor trees in thin golden festoons that shifted and swayed in the soft wind. Again there was silence – but a comforting feeling of peace came with it, as if the branches overhead were indeed hands protecting them from harm in an airy embrace, or sustaining that heavy sky in their place, catching any shard that might fall down before it could hit them. As Sans' eyes lingered on the white plaits woven around the trees' barks, his father began talking again, gently squeezing their shoulders where his hands had drifted as they took in their surroundings. "You will have a chance to rest and enjoy the natural beauty of this place, don't worry. Also, this friend of mine has a—"

"My friend!" An unfamiliar male voice came from behind them, cutting off the adult skeleton's sentence and making him turn around, while the two brothers leant to the side to peek from behind him. The kids' father instantly beamed at the sight of a fox monster dressed in a light brown tunic-like outfit approaching from the building's direction with one furry arm raised in greeting. "Sou!" the older skeleton replied, smoothly standing up and eagerly walking up to meet him. The two embraced and patted each other's back; when they separated, they still held their hands locked around the other's elbow.

"D'you think he's nice?" Papyrus whispered to Sans, leaning closer to him without taking his eyes off the stranger as he gleefully chatted with their father.

"Hmmm…" Sans did not really need time to think about it: the monster's warm smile, despite the sharp canines peeking out from under his muzzle's lips, as well as his clear golden eyes screamed friendliness – without mentioning the bushy tail wagging excitedly behind him, brushing away a stray golden leaf or two that had fallen on the flat stone tiles. "Yah, he seems cool. He's dad's buddy after all," the elder finally concluded with a light shrug.

"Think his fur is soft?" The young skeleton continued, eyeing fist the swishing tail and then the glossy mahogany fur covering his arms and what the fold of his tunic left exposed of his chest. Noticing the curious detail that the monster did not have paws but human-like hands which nonetheless retained animalistic claws and light pink pads, Sans simply replied: "Dunno bro; guess we could ask him if we can pet him later."

"That would be soooo _cool_!" exclaimed Papyrus, jumping up and down on the spot. His brother chuckled, pleased to see him so happy after the unpleasant experience of a few hours ago. "Well Paps, you sure do look _bright-eyed and bushy-tailed_ about it."

Before the younger skeleton could protest at the bad pun, a definite shift in the tone of the adults' conversation made the two monster kids turn. The fox guy was sighing and shaking his head resignedly, his ears demurely going limp at the sides of his head. "I am really sorry I was not here to greet you the moment you arrived, but…" He sighed heavily as his shoulders slumped down. "I was looking for my child. I haven't seen her all day today, and I _did_ tell her that we would be having visitors soon…" His head turned toward the forest encircling the courtyard, almost as if his daughter would magically run out of the woods at any moment.

His attention was immediately brought back to the skeleton when he placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "No need to overthink it, Sou. We had only just arrived when you showed up." He smiled at his distressed friend, hoping he would stop blaming himself for a fault he did not have.

"I…" The fox monster stuttered, a look of grateful surprise relaxing his furrowed brow. "I don't know what to say. Thank you for understanding." He put his own padded hand on the skeleton's shoulder. "She's a total wildcard, you see. Can't bear to stay indoors for more than forty minutes at a time. No matter how many times I told her not to go into the forest unaccompanied, she just runs off with her satchel and a stick, screaming something about exploring and who knows what else," he concluded with a slightly exasperated, yet amused huff. "I'd bet my hide that she's in the forest right now." The other adult monster knitted his bony brow and hummed in response, surely in the attempt to think up the best words that might bring his friend comfort.

"Exploring?!" echoed Papyrus, catching both the fathers' attention. The tiny skeleton was holding his balled up fists in front of him, bobbing up and down on his heels out of sheer excitement. "That sounds like the coolest thing _ever_!"

Their father's invisible eyebrows immediately went up as an idea zapped through his skull at the sight of his younger son's sparkling eyes. "Hey kids, d'you feel up for some exploring yourselves?" He asked with an eager smile. His fox friend gave him a confused look, to which the skeleton replied with a childlike glint in his fluorescent blue eye – "We'll help you look," he quickly explained before going back to his sons. "Stretch your legs and stuff in the meantime. _Get your blood pumpin'._ "

"Oh, no, I could never ask you to do that, I can't possibly impose—"

"Sure, dad." Sans cut off the fox monster's flustered protests with his typical calm composure and a half-grin, much to the latter's thankful surprise and Papyrus' joy (which Sans, for once, did not wish to deflate with the pun he had wanted to reply with).

"Very well then!" The adult skeleton planted his feet on the ground, placed on hand on his hip and fully extended the other arm to heroically point at the forest to their left, a challenging smile animating his bony features. "You're officially on a mission, kids! Sou and I will hold fort here and look around the temple grounds just in case the little one is hereabouts. Time limit's sunset, boys! Make sure to come back before it's night, alright?"

"Cool," Sans replied. He began walking in the forest's direction, only slightly picking up the pace when Papyrus shot ahead with a euphoric war cry. " _Keep an eye out_ for danger!" came their father's concerned voice from behind them, followed by a deep chuckle from the other adult monster. The elder brother raised a hand in reassurance; "Don't worry, I've got Paps' _back_."

"I see you haven't lost your knack for puns," commented in a low voice the fox monster, clearly amused. "And it seems like it carries on in the genes."

" _Tibia_ honest, my son has already outdone me more than once before…" The skeleton's voice trailed off as the two adult monsters turned around to begin their own search. Sans snickered briefly, grateful that Papyrus was distracted by the hype of their new "mission" to hear their punny exchange.

* * *

 _God I'm bad at puns..._ _  
_ _The reason why I have omitted a detailed description of the skelebros' father is because this is mainly a memory and some bits of it might be a bit... blurred. Rather than remembering faces, I thought actions, attitudes, and some particular details would instead stay a bit longer with someone._


	2. Part I: Chapter 2

_I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and a smashing New Year's celebration! Thank you for sticking to this story in 2017 as well ^_^ Special thanks go to all the wonderful readers who put this story in their favourites or alert list ^w^_  
 _Hope you will enjoy your stay._  
 _\- Cenerea_

* * *

 ** _Part I - Family Friends_**

 _Chapter 2_

It was only after a good hour spent walking aimlessly around the woods and catching Papyrus by the back of his jacket before he hit the ground following the umpteenth false step that Sans concluded they were getting absolutely nowhere with their search. "Hey Paps," he finally huffed, sitting on a large rock conveniently placed at the foot of a thriving beech tree to catch a breather. The exhaustion he had accumulated over the trip and which the newfound good mood had momentarily made him forget had come back with a vengeance – and the promise of a headache if he did not get the sleep he desperately needed before long. The younger skeleton, though, busy jumping from one pile of red and yellow leaves to the next, seemed completely oblivious to his brother's condition – and, admirably, showed no hint of tiredness himself. "We've been going around in circles for forever now, so maybe we should, uh, do some strategic planning?

Papyrus stopped skipping around to seriously consider the option; he crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked up at the fragments of the slowly darkening sky that were visible from the tiny cracks in the dappled canopy. "I think you might be right, brother!" he finally exclaimed and proceeded to nestle among the dead leaves in front of his sibling.

"Who do you think we're looking for?" Sans asked as he leant back against the trunk. "A fox like dad's pal, maybe?"

"Maybe." Papyrus fell into a pensive silence, his shoulders hunched over his folded arms and his chin tucked in close to the collarbone. Sans took the chance to gingerly scratch his back against the gritty bark, humming in pleasure, and then rest his head against it to let his sore neck relax a bit. The younger skeleton's face set into a deep scowl as he scratched his temple. "Should we look for trails?" he finally offered.

"Like hunters?" Sans dragged his words, staring idly at the branches swaying gently overhead. "Thought we were supposed to look for this girl, not hunt her down…" His voice faded into a badly stifled yawn. Ah, no good – he was too tired to even think of a pun. He really had to pull himself together, he told himself, but as his power levels plummeted his world gradually narrowed to the slow, rhythmical rocking of the beech branches, the soothing golden warmth of the dying day's last rays, Papyrus' distant voice as he talked on, and the forest's whispers lulling him to sleep with tender rustling, soft chirping…

Sans dismissed the shadow he thought he saw swishing among the leaves as a result of his drowsiness; he was too far gone to notice the loud crack of a branch somewhere close, but some primordial instinct rooted in his bones made him jolt awake at Papyrus' alarmed scream.

"BROTHER!"

Before he could process half of what was happening, a big bundle of cloth and a soft-looking red _something_ fell between them in a rain of leaves and twigs, and came to an abrupt halt with the snap of a rope. An instant of complete stillness ensued as adrenaline kicked in and sharpened his senses: Sans, by now flattened against the tree's trunk, found himself staring at a pair of light pink undergarments hovering only centimetres away from his face; his eyelights lowered for the briefest of seconds to meet another pair of teary eyes and catch a glimpse of deeply flushed skin.

Next thing he registered was a loud shriek; then a hard slap hit his cheek with such unexpected strength his head snapped to the side and hit the bark — vision abruptly going black.

.*.*.*.

"Welp, bro. Seems like we really didn't have to _tail_ anyone, after all."

"God, Sans, now's not the time. Let me see that, please."

Sans dropped the hand he had raised to his cheekbone to let his brother check the entity of the new wound he had just earned. He kept on staring at the spot he had been sitting in only moments before, while Papyrus concluded it was just a scratch but they should have dad look at it anyway. He chuckled nervously. "You sure pack quite the _paw_ , eh?"

Perched on top of the flat rock, busy winding up a long rope around her hand and elbow, was a sullen girl who would have looked perfectly human, if not for the pair of fox ears twitching nervously on top of her head and the bushy red tail protectively wrapped around her body. She shot Sans an angry look in reply, her emerald eyes still glistening with unshed tears of shame. Despite the fact that she was positively bristling at them, the older skeleton still found her thick mane of titian red hair, full of woody debris, and her flushed cheeks puffing out in irritation oddly endearing.

"To hurt a _bonehead_ like me with just a simple slap…" he added when she did not seem too inclined to reply. The girl huffed contemptuously, turning the other way. Sans imperceptibly raised an invisible eyebrow when that brisk movement revealed a tiny beauty mark near the corner of her left eye, finding amusing how the classiness of that detail contrasted sharply with the overall wildness of her current state – until his brother's shifting drew his thoughts away from the girl's emerald irises, half-hidden by long dark lashes as she subtly kept observing them from the corner of her eye.

Papyrus moved a couple of crackling steps among the dead leaves towards her, and Sans could immediately tell his brother was torn between two completely different states of mind. "That's not very nice of you, you know," he started in a critical, albeit unconvinced, tone. "We are the ones who helped you out of the situation you had _fallen into_ , thank you very much. It was no easy job untangling you from that rope." Papyrus wanted to sound offended and somewhat hostile, but the way in which he moved carefully to avoid startling her and intently studied the girl in search of any visible injuries suggested otherwise.

"Heh. Not bad, bro," interjected Sans with a snicker, conscious of the fact that the other had not even meant to make a pun. His brother needed a little distraction, though – just to help him sort out his feelings before he ended up confusing the girl too much.

The younger skeleton took a couple of seconds to finally click. "Oh, Sans, _please_ …!" Papyrus began, turning around with an exasperated sigh. "Now is not the time for puns; we need to get her back home!"

"Alright," the other simply replied with a light shrug.

Underwhelmed by the calm reaction and the complete absence of jokes, Papyrus just stood there, unsure of what he should do or say next. "…I mean, she just fell down a tree – a _very_ high tree – and she might be hurt…" he rambled on, until he suddenly whirled once again in the girl's direction, earning a surprised flinch from her part. "Are you hurt?"

The girl did not immediately reply, choosing instead to study her two interlocutors as she slowly stashed the rope away somewhere behind her scruffy tail. She looked a little hesitant and on guard still, her feet uneasily shifting her weight from one tip to the other, but it seemed like most of the surliness had dissipated to leave space to vague curiosity. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two brothers; both her ears were attentively turned their way before they pivoted to the side to follow Papyrus' voice as he demanded her attention again. "We don't mean harm. Can you understand me?" he asked, taking her silence as a lack of comprehension.

"Are you sure she's the right person, Paps?" the older skeleton cut in, trying to push the conversation further. Glancing up he had noticed that the sky had turned a definite indigo, meaning that they were about to break their curfew. And God only knew how tired he was. Of course she was the right person – how many humans had a tail, and how many fox-like monsters milled about the forest around the house of another fox monster looking for his child? But it was absurd to think that a girl who had just slapped him would obediently follow two strangers _anywhere_ just by asking. "That Sou-guy didn't really specify how she looked like, after all." Hence he had to resort to alternative methods.

Papyrus did not look entirely persuaded by his argument, but Sans pressed on with his indirect provocation nonetheless: "Plus, that monster could speak our language, so I'd think his kid would as well. If she can't understand us it might mean that she's just an illiterate _stray_."

A fake mocking grin had barely set on his features when her voice rang like a glass bell from the rock she had claimed. "'Course I can understand you! I'm not stupid, you bony… whatevers." She smoothly jumped up to her feet, her vexation emphasised by the fists she clenched at her sides. The quick motion, accompanied by a wide, vehement sweep of her tail, upset the precarious equilibrium of an oversized brown messenger bag's strap that clumsily crossed her chest; Papyrus stifled an amused huff when she was forced to renounce her display of furious indignation for a flustered struggle with said leather band and the pale yellow fabric of a tunic-like dress which it threatened to drag down her shoulders.

"Skeletons," Sans corrected her between badly suppressed chuckles, happy she had taken the bait and struggling like his brother to hold back the laughter.

"Skeletons," she repeated absent-mindedly, and then paused – her eyes lighting up in sudden interest. "That's actually pretty cool; I've never seen one before." Her tone was surprisingly matter-of-fact, fingers frozen around the strap now securely over her shoulder and the crumpled hem of her sagging collar. Sans was hardly able to catch a glimpse of her swishing tail before she landed right next to Papyrus in a cloud of golden leaves; her tiny hands shot out lightning-fast to grab one of the skeleton's arms to study it closely, the bag and the dress – still hanging loosely about her form like a badly wrapped curtain – now completely forgotten. "Apart from that one time one of the human kids fell off the cliff down south and broke his leg." She carefully took Papyrus' grey woollen glove off, pinching the top of each digit with her own index and thumb to then pull gently from the middle finger. "His bone came out with bits of flesh and lots of blood." Her gruesome elucidation slipped casually out of her mouth, too absorbed in the phalange-by-phalange examination of the young monster's hand to consider her words. She then peeked at Sans from the empty space between Papyrus' radius and ulna, and noticed the disoriented expression with which he was staring at her.

If the younger skeleton's initial panic at the girl's rapid pseudo-assault had been soothed by her delicate examination of his hand, the image of an exposed, broken skeleton lying in a puddle of blood effectively broke the spell her cool fingers had created. "That is _awful_ ," shakily breathed Papyrus, who did not seem to particularly mind the girl's appropriation of his appendage more than the poor boy's fate.

She turned his forearm to look at him through the space as well, but immediately dropped it when she found the way in which his brow knitted in horror of much greater interest. "Oh, don't worry. It didn't go _all_ out," she reassured him in a flat tone. She leant in so close the skeleton could feel the warmth of her soft breaths ghosting over his bones. "I know because I went down to get him and I got a chance to see it from real close. They put it back in." She was staring intensely at Papyrus' face, ears perked up and immobile. The skeleton did not dare move an inch: those clear eyes, shimmering with unaltered curiosity, pinned him to the spot as they hungrily took in any insignificant detail they could find; unblinking, they threatened to swallow him whole in their ivy-green depths, churning quietly with countless unspoken thoughts. Her voice was hushed, utterly enraptured in her silent scrutiny, and it almost came as a surprise to the increasingly restless skeleton: "He still kinda limps, but you can't see the bone no more. Guess it doesn't count as seeing a whole skeleton, though." Papyrus could feel his brother's eyes on him, but he could not untangle himself from that magnetic gaze – nor could he wholly submit to it in fear of being crushed by its invisible, yet palpable, pressure. Sans, too, did not attempt to break the delicate stillness of that instant which seemed to have painfully stretched into minutes, feeling – without good reason – as if the girl dangerously held them both in the palm of her hand.

Papyrus anticipated the change only microseconds before it happened, spotting the light in her eyes shift swiftly like a receding tide. "But that is beside the point!" she suddenly added, her silvery voice rising to a cheerful, yet somewhat urgent, chime.

Sans flinched and instinctively brought his guard up as he collected his magic into his SOUL, ready to take advantage of the moment to — simply let it all go when she merely squeezed his brother in a tight hug, her tail wagging wildly behind her and clearing a patch of damp soil in the carpet of dead leaves covering it. "Nyeh?!" exclaimed Papyrus in a mixture of shock, fear, and embarrassment. She let him go seconds after, squealing and hopping on the spot out of sheer excitement. "You _really are_ all bones; you don't have anything under your shirt other than that! Just how _cool_ is that?!"

Sans laughed quietly, and even Papyrus could not help giggling – whether that was out of amusement or as a way to release the built-up tension, they did not know. "No _body_ has shown this much interest in our bones," joked the eldest, glad to finally defuse the situation.

He promptly earned an exasperated wail from the other. "SANS, JUST CUT IT OUT AL—"

"Oh, oh, and do you know any more skeleton monsters? Where are you guys from? Surely not from hereabouts, that I can tell!" The fox-girl revealed a set of four sharp canines as she beamed widely at them, the anger of barely instants ago already a distant memory. She did not wait for them to answer her avalanche of questions: her expression went momentarily blank as one of her ears pivoted in the trees' direction and remained still for a couple of seconds. She then smiled again, opened her mouth to say something, and fell quiet a second time following another twitch of her ears. The brothers exchanged a look, a little at a loss as to what to do or say to the girl who seemed to be trying to tell them something but kept on being distracted by whatever her animal senses were picking up. Papyrus questioningly tilted his head, to which Sans replied with a clueless shrug; rather, he raised his hands to the sides of his skull and began turning them around at impossible angles in a funny imitation of the girl's own, making the other laugh under his breath. "You were looking for me, werentcha? Sou's my Pa's name," she eventually resolved, catching the two skeletons by surprise.

Sans instantly shoved his hands in the pouches hanging from his belt, while Papyrus pressed his gloved hands over his teeth to forcefully muffle any sound coming from them. The fox girl cocked her head to the side at that, slightly confused by the monsters' reaction. Before she could enquire about it, however, the elder had already recomposed himself and hastily took over the reins: "You mean, your _Paw_ 's," snickered Sans, drawing out the vowel for emphasis with a playful grin.

"SAAANSSSSS…!" came Papyrus' hiss, whereas the fox-girl did not show any sign of changing expression if not for her eyebrows arching up in puzzlement. She regarded her hands – turned them over a couple of times to be extra sure she was indeed looking at her _hands_ – and then looked back at the skeleton giggling at his sibling's outburst. "I haven't got paws like my dad. I have hands?" And she held them out for them to see.

The two brothers went quiet for a moment, looking at her hands, then at her, then her hands again – until Papyrus' face lit up with a triumphant grin. "NYEH-HEH!" he haughtily cackled as he pointed a finger at the other skeleton. "FINALLY IT COMES RIGHT BACK ATCHA!" Sans merely shrugged and looked away, calmly accepting defeat, although a hint of disappointment dimmed the light of his fluorescent blue eyelights.

The girl would have definitely dwelled upon the connection between her paws-that-were-actually-hands and her father for much longer, had not a second, louder call made her ears dart once again toward the cramped of trees to her right. Even Papyrus' glorious laughter died down upon catching the alarmed tone of that distant voice. The young skeleton turned expectantly toward his brother, any trace of glee replaced by a worried frown.

Well, it _was_ beginning to grow quite dark, Sans mentally remarked, moving a couple of slow steps in the general direction the voice had come from. Only to stop once again when he faced the repeating scenery of trees upon trees upon dead leaves and bushes, and realised he had no idea how to get back to base. The skeleton began mentally debating whether they should just press on until they found their way back, or if he should try to use his power to have Papyrus levitate above the trees and see where the weird pointy building from earlier was, or maybe —

He sighed softly: the growing amount of thoughts crowding brain tested his already exhausted wits and pressed and pulsed against the inside of his skull, which he instinctively scratched in hope of relieving the fastidious sensation. For now, though, he extended a hand in his brother's direction, a silent beckon to stay close at his side, which the latter obediently heeded.

"That was my dad calling me." The two monsters turned in the girl's direction, her quiet voice interrupting Sans' trail of thought. She idly rocked on her bare heels, gazing with evident disinterest at the trees surrounding them. Her eyes eventually fell on Sans, wordlessly communicating to him that she knew he was absolutely lost. "How about we walk back to the temple together? I'll show you the way." And with that, she began strolling confidently down a fairly steep slope into the forest, as if she were walking on a pre-marked path. "I know these woods like the back of my hand," she simply stated, soon halting her steps to stare at the brothers when they did not immediately follow. One ear turned toward them and her eyebrows went up questioningly; she gingerly nodded toward the trees in front of her as explanation, one hand weakly fixing the strap of her bag over her shoulder before it threatened to denude her a second time.

Papyrus was the first to react after giving Sans a reassuring smile, nimbly hopping over exposed roots and rocks to her side. Instantly heartened by the positive response, as evidenced by her ears perking up at the baby skeleton's crunching steps, the girl eagerly added: "Don't worry, the awesome me will lead you right to forest's edge and then go to the back of the line. You can tell my dad that _you_ found me and brought me back home, and take all the credit for it." Her grin was cheerful, yet still somewhat condescending, as she softly beat her fist on her puffed-out chest. Sans chuckled at the familiarity of the gesture and began shuffling toward them at his usual slow pace, his smile only widening when he heard his brother's shocked gasp.

"You sure?! That's very kind of you, fox-girl!" Papyrus beamed with wholehearted admiration, to which she answered with a tiny giggle.

"No problem; take it as a token of our new friendship. I get scolded for wandering off in the woods all the time anyway. One more scolding won't hurt."

.*.*.*.

The fox girl unexpectedly stopped dead in her tacks after a few moments of quiet walking; the action had been so abrupt that the skeletons got a couple of steps ahead of her before they noticed. Upon turning around, they found her staring at her open hands in utter disbelief. The two brothers glanced at each other, perplexed by her sudden shift in attitude. From the handful of minutes they had spent with her, they had already gathered that she could display drastic mood swings and that her actions were by consequence mostly unexpected, but the novelty of her presence still had not sunk deep enough into their bones to simply accept her odd behaviour. Thus, Papyrus could not help not staring at the girl with mute worry, while faint concern veiled Sans' voice as he asked: "Something's the matter?"

She immediately looked up at him, understanding slowly dawning upon her features as her bright eyes lit up in the growing darkness. "The paws! It was a joke on how the words sound!" she exclaimed with passionate intensity.

The older skeleton took a couple of seconds to realise she was referring to his failed pun from earlier. Before he could think of a reply, though, the girl had already run next to him with a buoyant smile that seemed to radiate its own light for how warm and sincere it was. "It was actually quite a good pun, you know?" she giggled, and then hopped on to take the lead once again.

Sans just stood there, dumbstruck, needing a gentle nudge from his brother to snap back to reality and move on. His eye was drawn to the girl's bushy tail of vibrant red fur merrily swishing about; his hear caught her humming her unaltered delight to the notes of a jolly tune – all just because she had understood his bad pun. The skeleton could not stifle the quiet laughter that bubbled up in his ribcage: she was going to be an interesting one to have around, for sure.

* * *

 _I could not get more predictable, inserting a fox-eared and -tailed girl... but it'll hopefully serve the plot later on °w°_


End file.
